IN KEEPING with the key moment of Hearts' derby win, Yves Ma-Kalambay didn't throw his hands up afterwards, refusing to accept culpability over Andrius Velicka's decisive strike. Indeed, the Belgian under-21 internationalist claimed play should have been stopped before he fumbled a header from the Lithuanian striker.
"I am not upset with myself about the goal and it is not as if it was a mistake or anything," he said.
"It was such a close header and I tried to stop it and I didn't do it quite well enough. It was more reaction than anything else.
"Sometime
s you have to hope for the best, to be in the right position at the right time. I was fouled before it. The guy (Velicka] in front of me pulled my shirt. He did a good job because the referee didn't see it. But if you pull my shirt when I am trying to move then it is a foul."
Ma-Kalambay was mocked remorselessly from the home stands following the goal, as the Hearts supporters chanting his name feasted on another weak moment from a Hibs goalkeeper in their backyard. "Let them sing whatever they want," the keeper said. "At least they know my name. It is some kind of celebrity for me."
Hibs manager Mixu Paatelainen refused to take Ma-Kalambay's name in vain, pointing to the fact that Velicka was allowed a header in the six-yard area.
"It wasn't a goalkeeper error," he said of the slack shot-stopping. "It was a set piece and we lost an important header just before that and then the knock-down. I'm not blaming Yves, I'm blaming plenty of other players. It is not case of pointing the finger at one."
Paatelainen claimed his team were worthy of point for their efforts after the interval. "We didn't play well in the first half. We lost the ball too easily and our passing wasn't good enough," he said. "But in the second half we were much better and I am disappointed to lose because we had a few chances. Then Hearts weren't interested in playing, they only wanted to defend their lead, which they are entitled to do."
Hearts keeper Steve Banks believes the club's first win in 11 demonstrates the belief the players have in Stephen Frail. "His heart and soul is in the place," Banks said. "You see that every day in training and I hope it is rubbing off on us. We want to do it for him. You see that in the way the lads are performing. We are right up for him being the manager."
The full article contains 448 words and appears in Scotland On Sunday newspaper.
